Brett Favre has gone back and forth about whether he would play or retire. Does all of that back-and-forth harm his legacy?
Does all Brett Favre's flip-flopping taint his legacy?
Tue Aug 18, 2009 11:42 AM EDT
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As an over 60 athlete who has played competitive soccer most of her adult life, this is what I have to say. Those of you who have a negative reaction to Favre have probably never had a successful athletic day in your life. If you had ever felt the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, you would understand why he is still so driven to play and would be saying 'you go, Brett'. If he's a bust, at least it will be on his terms, not caring whether he goes out gracefully or not...that he played until his inability to compete was proven on the field...not by someone else telling him that legacy meant more than finishing it out the way he wanted to. 'You go, Brett!!!. If I did not have two trashed knees, I would still be going for the thrill of victory and the agony with the over 60 league....and would be considered a 'young thing'.
Mika, there's no issue with his continuing to play. It's the "I'm retiring, no I'm not, maybe I'll play, maybe I won't" attention-grabbing nonsense he puts us through every year that is making people wish he'd just go back to Mississippi and shut up.
Mika, you seem to be full of yourself too if you think nobody besides you and Favre have tasted the thrill of victory. Seriously, you are over 60, so Im guessing you probably havent won anything besides Shuffleboard or Bridge in over 30 years.
To further rebute your point, he is signing with his teams division rival. As a hardcore Redskins fan, I can positively say if Art Monk, Darrell Green, or any other HOF Redskins jumped ship to a division rival, I would never be able to view them the same (or any type of positive light for that matter).
His inability to compete has been proven on the field. Last year with the Jets. Farve needs to understand he no longer has the arm that made him famous. Football is not a forgiving game, and he's not getting any better. By continuing to attempt to compete, he's taking up space that a new talent could use to become a world class player.
TCROCK when did the Jets and Vikings become division rivals?
TCrock - before mouthing off, spend some time learning to read (with comprehension) and lose the Yogi Berra vocabulary. Aside from the obvious gaffe noted by allnutz, the lady said she competed in an over 60 league until her knees gave out.
He tainted his legacy last year and the year before. Now he's just shredded it and it's being used as oil rags...
Give the guy a break, he's not ready to go, he's got a God given talent, if he wants to still play let him. Obviously teams are interested in him.
Tarnish his image, hell no! He's one of the greatest! Awesome! Glad he's back! As for Green Bay, those idiots didn't want him after everything he did for that team! I hope he destroys Green Bay! Paybacks a b***h! Football just got better! I will be buying is his jersey! Way to go Favre! Best news ever!
Favre knows football, nothing else. You won't see him as a business man or dealing in finance, just football. When you have something that you are so deeply attached to, you forget about doing whatt "makes sense," such as retiring for good lol. Look, if he really wants to play, and the Vikings - or any other team for that matter - are willing to give him that opportunity, then so be it. We should be so lucky if any of us had the opportunity that he does. He doesn't need the money so I really do not see him milking it for that. I think he is milking himself (that just sounds bad lol) to see how far he can go and to see who is willing to accept him. And you have to figure that it's the Vikings who are putting in the greater risk here. Favre is "old" in terms of football and athleticism. The Vikings have to understand that they may put him in the first regular game of the season and he could suffer a season/career-ending injury and they are out that money. But in Favre's perspective, he gets to play his last game and that's all he cares about.
What a shame. there isn't a fund raiser or kids hospital somewhere that he couldn't make a difference at? Seems rather selfish.
How utterly ridiculous. Brett Favre's legacy has nothing to do with the team that he does or doesn't play with for his last few years. His legacy is about body of work throughout his career. The guy has never missed a game for goodness sake. That stat alone is HOF worthy. Not to mention the fact that he has provided millions of viewers with unbelievable memories (fans and foes alike) because of is inarguably impressive talents.
Great players throughout the history of the league (even at it's beginning!) have always struggled with retiring. It's just human nature. Besides, Green Bay dumped Brett. He didn't dump them. The man still wants to play. Take a look at the other people playing QB in the NFL right now... Why not start Brett? Seems like a no brainer to me.
Taint his legacy? Get real. The pack dumped him without any say; the vikes are ready to let him play; I say Brett takes them all the way!!!
No, that's wrong. Brett retired, Green Bay moved on. Nobody dumped Brett, though I sure wanted to get rid of him after the Giants playoff game, the Eagles 4th-and-26 game, the Rams "pick six" game, numerous Dallas games, etc.
No offense, but you are the one who is wrong. Thompson and McCarthy forced Brett out. They wanted Rodgers in so they could get more 'credit' for 'their' team (not 'Brett's Team).
If you are a 'real packer fan' maybe you would take some time to remember a few of the amazing games that Brett pulled out for you over a decade and a half of playing his guts out and never missing a game, instead of a few that you lost.
I have been a packer fan, (a 'real' packer fan), for 40 years. I remember a LOT of floundering years before Brett's arrival. And I will NEVER forget (let alone dispute) the fact that he played his guts out for my team and made us into winners.
I agree! I figure if Brett hadn't still had contract left when they FORCED Mike Sherman out, they would have forced Brett out at the same time. No matter who he plays for, his records and his athleticism AND his altruism AND his heart are his legacy. NOT him struggling with whether he wants to stay in MS and be retired or whether he still wants to play a game he LOVES and which he is SO GOOD AT! I've seen comments about rather hearing about Vicks ... a man who took his ROLE MODEL STATUS and threw it into a ring of dogs fighting TO THE DEATH and then BET on them. Favre is what NFL stars SHOULD BE ... he's a caring person who truly IS a role model for America's youth. He doesn't need the money the Vikings are paying him, but he wants to play and the Vikings WANT him to play. He had a year out of the Packer's division to play so he's NOT going from one team to their rival in the division. He's going so he can be where the team that wants him is. The Vikings persued Brett ... not the other way around. They have been after him since the Pack shoved him out of Lambeau. We have two Favre Packers jerseys ... and I'll be looking to find one from the Vikings now.
Hello, he has God given talent and can bring something to each team he plays with. I love watching him play, he's got alot more heart than most..............
First question...what legacy? That answer wasn't one you could check off above. Look, he is a good ole boy who was durable and won one... yes one, Superbowl, on the legs of Desmond Howard's runback and Drew Bledsoe's dump-off INT runback. Up to that point I think it would have been a Pat's win, but no matter, I have always viewed him as being a gunslinger who would win some he shouldn't have won and lose some he shouldn't have lost. Same as Fran Tarkenton, and now he goes to that franchise after the bogus year he had with the Jets. Pennington, water pistol arm and all was better. This guy is like the old firehorse who hears the bells ring and rushes to get into gear for the fire. He needs to realize he was never that good, and he sure isn't that good now. Hang it up for good, please. And to the media...please stop covering this guy, we don't care, we really don't. The only thing worse than his comeback would be if he ended up in the announcers booth. Oh, God. Please no.
Favre was a god in Wisconsin before his first return from retirement days. After that one he became mortal and his stock went down significantly. If this new one is true and he joins the arch rivals of the state of Wisconsin then his name will become mud and a swear word. As a former Minnesotan there is not anything more important than the Viking-Packer games and rivalries. Stay retired and prove that you are bigger than the game and it is not all about you. This extra drama will kill the Vikings this year as will Vick kill the Eagles. A darn shame for both teams.
When many players & coaches call it quits they say that it's time to spend more time with their families, and then they discover that their families have adjusted to living without them and -- guess what -- it's just not as much fun as they thought it was going to be. In fact, it causes some disruption in the family to suddenly have the athlete home full time second guessing mom's decisions with the kids and expecting the kids to hang around and be giddy that daddy's finally home. The kids have moved on and want to spend time with their own friends. So what do older players and coaches do when they face this situation? They go back to the only thing they really know how to do, whether or not it's the right decision.
What a douche!
Give it up already old man, you are making yourself look like a complete moron!
I guess some people need to learn the hard way- if he gets tackled by a huge lineman and gets his entire body crushed into the ground, maybe it will push some blood up in that dumb-jock cranium of his, and he'll realize that he is done.
Legacy... his legacy is gone, it's called, "quit while you're ahead"
Go Home, you're done oldie, and you are looking like nerd now!!!
Wow, brutal, correct but brutal. I do think he'll go down injured early on. Dang it! Another Viking year down the tubes. I'll try to cheer.
Brett Favre is a great football player but he needs to retire and go into the Hall of Fame as a Packer. Most of the comments I've read say the same thing. I'm a Packer fan and I bleed the Packers. When the Packers play the Vikings (twice) I hope the Packers' linemen and linebackers just crush him or intercept his passes and run them back for a touchdown. When Favre was playing for the Packers and they were winning it wasn't Favre alone doing it. Winning football games in the NFL takes a sturdy defense and a fair offense. No team has won the Super Bowl unless they have a defense to stop the other team. Favre needs to retire - enough is enough!!
No, of course not. The man changes his mind. So what?
He has gone from being a guy I used to admire and support to being a complete whack-job.
Yes, he should have stopped after Green Bay...but there are always two sides...money trouble maybe??? It's a bad economy... and football is all he knows.
BigMike60... lmao!
"He needs to realize he was never that good, and he sure isn't that good now."
Unbelievable the tripe that gets posted on these things. Dude what are you talking about? Anyone with any NFL knowledge will tell you that Brett Favre is a lock HOF quarterback. Do you think that happens if he was "never that good"?
I love the "he only won one" thing too. Dan Marino never won one at all, but he is still one of the best ever. His records speak for themself, as do Brett's. Not to mention that things that even the record book can't measure.
BTW: Green Bay could have easily one two in a row if a play or two went there way against Denver. Any one with any football chops will tell you that Favre way outplayed Elway in that game, but sometimes things just roll that way. Part of the game.
Speak for yourself! WE love Brett and WE always will.
Who leads the NFL record book in INT's? Hint: he has been playing way too long.
I liked Marino, not very mobile, but a quick release, had some real good receivers, and he thought he would get back to the big game after losing the first time, but he never did. He also lost on Nutrasystems. Wish the Pats had him back when. Anyway, we can disagree. I agree with the guy who liked Terry B. And I personally preferred Montana as a guy who could do it all. Even Joe stayed one year too long and got massacred on a hit. I put Brady, Peyton, and maybe Ben R. all in a similar level, and all three of them well ahead of Favre.
Dude you said he was 'never that good' and yet you are comparing him (rightly so) to the best QBs who ever played the game. You made my point. Brett Favre is in that category where we, as fans, can debate who ranks highest amongst the BEST in the game.
BTW: I agree with most of the guys you mentioned, but Rothlesberger?
And get serious with the 'leads the NFL record book in INTs' Get a grip dude! Think about it. If you play long enough you are going to lead in all the categories. It's just part and parcel of being the iron man that Favre was (and is). If Marino had played as long as Farve (or any of the relatively high passing % QBs) then he/they would lead the category. Its just basic math and everyone who really follows the NFL knows that.
Even though I'm a Bears fan, I always rooted for the Packers when I could. When Favre left for the Jets I realized I wasn't a Packers fan but a Favre fan.
Brett's unpredictable nature is part of his legacy on and off the field and part of what makes him fun to watch. Whether he's good or bad this season it's going to make for some exciting games.
..and I'm glad he's playing the Bears in Chicago in December. :)
Farve's legacy will not be tainted. He has a LOVE of the game. The Packers did him wrong and he just wants to play. I can't wait to see another year of him. He will never lose my respect as one of the greatest quaterbacks ever. Nothing he does now will change the records he has set or his past performance.
This reminds me of the time I paid $100 to see the The Who's final tour...the first one.